The present disclosure relates generally to downhole subassembly systems and, more particularly, to an actively rotatable downhole orienting tool used to orient a wellbore isolation device to a desired circumferential location.
Hydrocarbon-producing wells often are stimulated by hydraulic fracturing operations where a fracturing fluid may be introduced into a portion of a subterranean formation penetrated by a wellbore at a hydraulic pressure sufficient to create or enhance at least one fracture therein. Stimulating or treating the wellbore in such ways increases hydrocarbon (e.g., oil or gas) production from the well. The fracturing equipment, such as a perforating device, may be included in a stimulation assembly used in the overall production process.
In some wells, it may be desirable to create perforation tunnels within a formation using a perforating device. The perforation tunnels typically improve hydrocarbon production by further propagating and creating dominant fractures and micro-fractures so that the greatest possible quantity of hydrocarbons in an oil and/or gas reservoir can be drained/produced into the wellbore. Placement of such a perforating device, or other fracturing equipment, for use downhole typically requires anchoring a wellbore isolation device within the wellbore. The wellbore isolation device serves as a mating tool for the fracturing equipment, and may additionally serve to isolate a portion of the wellbore for treatment.
When the fracturing equipment of interest is a perforating device, perforation of the formation from a wellbore, or completion of the wellbore, may be challenging to the inability to control the orientation of such equipment. Such challenges may be exacerbated in wellbores that are horizontal or highly deviated. Correct orientation of such fracturing equipment facilitates wellbore treatment so that the wellbore can effectively produce hydrocarbons. Proper orientation may additionally be used to avoid certain obstacles in the wellbore, such as to protect other equipment in the downhole environment from abrasion or damage as a result of contact directly or indirectly with the fracturing equipment.
Traditional orienting tools are passive tools that are placed within a wellbore and set (e.g., a hanger), such that the circumferential or azimuthal orientation of the first component is unknown, such as by use of a gyroscope. The conveyance (e.g., tool string) used to set the orienting must then be removed and a directional survey performed to determine the orientation of a particular element of the orienting tool. Thereafter, the conveyance is reintroduced and the orienting tool must be physically adjusted based on the information gleaned from the directional survey. Finally, a downhole tool, such as fracturing equipment (e.g., perforating equipment), is mated to the orienting tool to ensure that the downhole tool is properly oriented within the wellbore to perform a particular operation. Accordingly, at least two trips into the wellbore are required to orient a downhole tool according to traditional methods. Additionally, associated with some traditional orienting tools is sensor technology used to confirm the orientation of the current at least two-trip orienting methodology. These traditional sensors measure only relative bearing (e.g., north-south, high-low side) of a reference point.